Chapter 51: Rumors spread. Husband and wife talk privately.
Qiu Xuan really didn't expect him to reply to her like this.
She pursed her lips. "Forget it. You two brothers have a secret."
Seeing that she was about to leave, Zong Xiao quickly reached out to stop her.
"What? Are you going to tell me now?" Qiu Xuan snorted, just waiting for him to continue.
Just then, a child's voice came from outside.
"Aunt, aunt." Huaixue suddenly appeared in front of the door and rushed in.
She threw herself on Qiu Xuan's legs, her little hands tightly grasping the hem of her clothes.
This change made Qiu Xuan instantly forget what had just happened. She picked him up and asked, "What happened? Tell me, who bullied you?"
Huai Xue was in a state of thunder and rain. She pointed outside the door while grumbling, "Auntie, Da Zhuang doesn't want to play with me again."
Qiu Xuan had an impression of this name. She remembered that when she first married into the village, Da Zhuang bullied Huai Xue.
If she remembered correctly, Da Zhuang was the grandson of the second branch of the Zong family.
"You cry if I don't play with you." Qiu Xuan carried her into the house and asked Zong Xiao to bring her favorite food.
She coaxed it into Huaixue's hands and said as usual: "Auntie will make you something delicious later, okay?"
"No." The little girl was still upset. She couldn't seem to find anything delicious right now. She tugged at Qiu Xuan's sleeve and cried, "Auntie, Da Zhuang won't let anyone else play with me. He even said you won't want me anymore when you have kids."
"Who said that? How could your aunt not want you?" Qiu Xuan frowned. She felt very unhappy after hearing this. This kind of words that bully children by imitating others must have been spread by adults.
If it were in the past, she would definitely coax Huaixue at home, but today she was not going to tolerate the bullying just like that.
"Come on, auntie will take you there and let Dazhuang apologize to you." Qiu Xuan wiped her face with a towel. After her tears stopped completely, Qiu Xuan took her hand and walked out in small steps.
As soon as she opened the door, she bumped into Zong Xiao outside.
Zong Xiao looked at her furious expression and raised his hand to stop her, "What's wrong? Are you angry too?"
It is normal for children to cry while playing. This is not the first time that Zong Xiao has seen Huai Xue cry. In the past, she would also come home and cry if she bumped into something and lost the candy melon.
"I'll go ask Dazhuang who taught him to speak like that. He's so naughty at such a young age." After saying that, Qiu Xuan took Huaixue's hand and walked out of the yard.
Zong Xiao was stunned. By the time he figured out what she said, Qiu Xuan had already disappeared.
The second branch of the Zong family lived not far from where they lived, just across an alley.
When Qiu Xuan went over, Da Zhuang was squatting in the yard with several children playing in the mud.
Seeing Huaixue coming over, he stood up and pointed at Huaixue and said, "Why are you complaining again? What else can you do besides complaining?"
The children around heard the noise and dropped the mud in their hands and ran away. They didn't want to get involved.
Although Qiu Xuan was angry, as an adult, she was still rational.
She walked forward, bent down and looked at Dazhuang, who was as fat as a tree stump, and asked, "Auntie hasn't said anything to you yet, why are you blaming Huaixue?"
"You are not my aunt." Dazhuang looked at her with disgust. He had heard his grandmother say that poor people were not worthy of being relatives of their family, and people like her who had no dowry were even less worthy of being his relatives.
"You kid." Qiu Xuan laughed angrily, "You say it's not true? Then tell me why you said those ugly lies to Huaixue today."
Dazhuang looked at her confidently, not feeling guilty at all. He shouted, "I didn't bully her, and I didn't tell lies. I was telling the truth. She's just a snitch. No one will want her in the future. That's why we won't play with her."
Huaixue cried out "Wow" and started crying again.
The crying instantly attracted a lot of people, and Dazhuang's grandmother also came out of the house cursing.
"Cry, cry, cry all day long. Why are you crying in front of someone else's door?" Da Zhuang's grandmother just took a step forward, but when she saw who was outside the door, she immediately retracted her foot.
What bad luck! Why are the people from the main branch of the Zong family here to cause trouble again so early in the morning?
She remembered that last time it was because of the eldest wife of the Zong family that she and her good grandson were beaten.
"Second Aunt." Qiu Xuan still had a smile on her face. She looked at the woman who was about the same age as the clan mother and said calmly, "The child is crying because he has been wronged."
Seeing that he couldn't escape, the second branch of the Zong family immediately put on a hypocritical smile and walked out with difficulty.
"Oh, isn't this our Huaixue? Why are you crying again? You can't cry just because you lost the candy melon. Little girl, you can't be so delicate."
The second branch of the Zong family came up and started to blame others. As soon as those words came out, anyone who heard them would think that Huaixue was just throwing a tantrum.
Qiu Xuan was not willing to tolerate her. She protected Huai Xue behind her and asked in front of the neighbors, "Second Aunt, you can eat whatever you want but you can't say anything you want. Why is my Huai Xue crying? It's all your Da Zhuang's fault. He's so young and he heard some nonsense from somewhere. He keeps saying that we, the aunts and uncles, will not have Huai Xue anymore if we have children."
"Second Aunt, tell me, what do you mean we won't want her if we have children in the future?"
The second wife of the Zong family was choked. She didn't expect that the words she said to coax the child would be spread by Dazhuang again.
Huaixue has been loved and spoiled at home since she was a child, and she has never been short of snacks. Sometimes when Dazhuang sees her, he will ask his grandmother for more.
Farmers don't have that much spare money, so she told them that children shouldn't be greedy. "Look, Huaixue always eats delicious food now, but she won't be able to eat it in the future."
Da Zhuang asked her why Huai Xue could not eat it anymore.
She smiled and said that Huaixue had no parents, and her two uncles who loved her were married now. Who would take care of her when they had children in the future? She was an orphan and no one would want her. She was very pitiful.
The second branch of the Zong family has not forgotten these words.
"Second Aunt, you won't forget what you said, will you?" Qiu Xuan said with a forced smile.
The neighbors in the alley brought small stools and sat in front of their doors to listen. They loved watching this kind of excitement the most.
One is the daughter-in-law from the eldest branch of the clan who was brought in to pay off a debt, and the other is a nagging old lady from the second branch of the clan. No matter who wins the argument, it will be an interesting thing.
The second branch of the Zong family felt a little embarrassed. She was so old, but was blocked at the door by a junior.
She pointed at Qiu Xuan's nose and cursed, "You are a junior, don't you still respect your elders? You have to come to my house to complain about such a small matter. What's the matter? Isn't what I said the truth? Besides, it wasn't me who said it. Everyone in the village said so. Why did you come to me?"
Huaixue was startled, her little hands were shaking so much that she couldn't even stand steadily.
Qiu Xuan held her hand, not showing any weakness at all. "Auntie, please don't make false accusations. No one else in the village has said such a thing. Look, who in this alley has said such a thing?"
The onlookers nodded secretly.
It's fine for everyone to say this kind of thing in private, but no one would say it in front of the children.
Everyone knows that the eldest wife of the clan has been protecting this child. If the clan mother hears it, there will definitely be a quarrel.
But they didn't expect that the one who came to quarrel today was Qiu Xuan, the daughter-in-law who came to pay off the debt.
Seeing that she couldn't win the argument, the second branch of the Zong family rolled her eyes and a bad idea came to her mind.
She pointed at Huaixue behind Qiu Xuan and asked, "What's the matter? You don't want the baby anymore. You're only going to raise her from now on?"
Offspring is a big deal. Why did the clan mother let Zong Xiao get married? It was because she wanted him to have a descendant in the future.
If this damn girl said in front of so many people that she didn't want an heir, wouldn't that be a slap in the face of the clan mother? If she said yes, then Huaixue could be compared to her own biological child.
From this perspective, everything she said was true, not a single one was false.
The second wife of the Zong family couldn't hide the smile on her face. She was so old and yet she could still lose to a younger person.
Just as she was feeling smug, Zong Xiao came over from the alley.
"Second Aunt." He walked forward, put his arm around Qiu Xuan's shoulders, and asked, "When did Second Aunt start meddling in my household affairs?"
"Second uncle." Huaixue's eyes were swollen from crying. She knew that her uncle and aunt loved her, but those words were like nails that pierced her fragile and young heart.
Zong Xiao held her in his arms with one hand and coaxed her softly.
"Second Aunt, you have to apologize to the child for what happened today." Qiu Xuan glanced at Da Zhuang. The child probably saw that his grandmother was on his side, so he didn't think he was wrong at all. Now he was hiding behind and making faces at Qiu Xuan and the others.
Qiu Xuan will never let Huai Xue play with a child like this again.
"What are you apologizing for?" The second branch of the Zong family didn't take what Zong Xiao just said seriously at all.
Ever since Zong Anji got married a few days ago, there have been a lot of rumors in the village.
She didn't believe that Zong Xiao hadn't heard it. As brothers, yet they married two wives who were so different in age, even she, as their aunt, was jealous. She didn't believe that Zong Xiao wouldn't be jealous.
Now this money-losing girl is looking for trouble. If she were Zong Xiao, she would definitely take her home immediately and not let her continue to embarrass herself outside.
The second wife of the Zong family cleared her throat and pretended to be considerate of Zong Xiao. "Erlang, if it wasn't Auntie who said so, you should also control your wife. Why is she so bad-tempered? She always comes to Auntie to make trouble. It's just a matter between children, why does she, as an adult, bother to make trouble? If you ask me, you should be more careful when choosing a wife. You can't just take any cheap girl home. You can't accept a girl who pays you for money but doesn't come with a dowry."
Wow, as soon as these words came out, the neighbors' eyes widened.
Everyone stuck their heads out, eager to see what Zong Xiao would do and whether he would protect his wife.
"Second Aunt." Qiu Xuan took a step forward, put her hands on her hips and looked at the second branch of the Zong family. If others heard such words, they would just hang their heads and feel embarrassed.
But Qiu Xuan wouldn't, she knew everything.
She smiled and asked, "What are you talking about, Second Aunt? I wonder how much betrothal gifts Second Aunt received when she got married, and how much dowry she brought with her."
"You." These words were really disobedient to the elders. The second branch of the Zong family was so angry that they wanted to go up and slap Qiu Xuan in the face.
"Second Aunt, if I remember correctly, your son hasn't married yet. It seems Second Aunt is picky and wants to give more betrothal gifts. From now on, families that give less than ten taels will probably not be accepted by Second Aunt." Qiu Xuan looked at Da Zhuang and instigated, "Da Zhuang, when you go home, you must ask your mother how many taels of betrothal gifts were asked for on the day of the wedding. If it's not enough, remember to ask your grandma to make up for it."
"After all, cheap ones are not valuable. You can't take her home." Qiu Xuan said without even looking at the second branch of the Zong family.
She took Zong Xiao's arm and walked home.
The news spread throughout the village within half a day, and the second son of the Zong family was so angry that he dragged the man into the yard and beat him.
"You troublemaker, you say whatever you want. Are you allowed to say those things?" Zong Lao Er said as he pulled Da Zhuang to him, took off his pants, and slapped him twice.
"Grandma, save me!" Dazhuang cried. Seeing that his loving grandma didn't come forward to help him, he cried again, "I don't want Grandma anymore. I don't want Grandma anymore."
"Cry, cry, cry, all you do is cry." The second elder of the clan was very angry. He had embarrassed himself completely in public today.
What outsiders think and say is their business, but he is Zong Xiao's uncle and Zong Xiao's father's younger brother.
How did this matter become like this? How will the two families see each other in the future? Are they still relatives?
This matter reached the ears of the second elder of the clan, and naturally also reached the ears of the mother of the clan.
She was startled, and the worries she had been having these days suddenly flooded into her mind again.
Ultimately, it was because she, as a mother, was biased and did not treat her two sons equally in their marriages.
Now outsiders dare to talk about this directly in front of Zong Xiao and Qiu Yun. The children must be very sad.
The clan mother didn't dare to think about it, she felt so guilty.
Turning back to the house, she counted out five taels of silver from her purse, which was all her money.
The grandmother put the money in her hands and went to the next room.
At this time, in the courtyard separated by a wall, Zong Xiao was talking to Qiu Yu in private.
"Don't be angry. What those people say outside is all lies. I've never thought that." Zong Xiao was afraid that Qiu Xuan would take his words to heart, so he kept explaining to her, "I've never envied my third brother. What kind of woman he marries is his business. I've also never thought about the dowry. I don't envy him, really."
"I." Zong Xiao was about to continue speaking, but was interrupted by Qiu Yun raising her hand.
She nodded and replied, "I know. I know what kind of person you are. Besides, I'm not upset by what you said."
Qiu Xuan smiled. "Although my sister-in-law's betrothal gifts are generous, her dowry is also substantial. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that her parents love her. The Liu family asked for such a large betrothal gift because they truly wanted to find her a good husband. After all, only someone who truly wants to marry her would be willing to spend so much money."
"Do you still remember that the Liu family made a request at that time?" Qiu Xuan asked him softly.
"Split up the family?" Zong Xiao thought for a moment and replied.
Qiu Xuan: "Exactly. The reason the Liu family insisted on this was actually because of my younger sister-in-law. Think about it, she brought so much dowry with her when she married in. If she had married into the family and everyone lived together, how could her sisters-in-law not be envious? So, we split up the family. They may be envious, but at least they won't be living together, and there will be less gossip and pressure."
As for why he didn't give her more money privately to support herself, but instead made such a grand dowry, Qiu Xuan actually understood.
It's not all for the sake of the child. The betrothal gift was so high on that day. If the dowry is small on the wedding day, what will outsiders think and say?
Instead of letting others say bad things about their daughters behind their backs, it is better to let them open their eyes and see that the Liu family is not greedy for money. They will naturally ask for a high betrothal gift and a large dowry. They have only one idea in mind when marrying off their daughter, and that is to make their children have a good life after marriage.
"After all the commotion today, I think no one outside should gossip anymore." Qiu Xuan raised her eyes to look at Zong Xiao in front of her and whispered, "If you say envy, I only envy my sister-in-law for having such loving parents."
Zong Xiao held her wrist and carefully held her in his arms.
He couldn't heal Qiu Yun's painful memories, but he could treat her twice as well for the rest of his life as long as she stayed by his side.
Outside the door, the grandmother leaned against the wall, her eyes already blurred by tears.
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